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Can electromagnetic waves given off by wireless routers make children fall ill?

The rumour has made the mayor of Borgofranco d'lvra, a town in Piedmont, Italy, send messages to high and elementary schools to shut down their Wi-Fi and use cables to link with the Internet.

"It's not that we're against technology, our choice is merely a precautionary measure," said Mayor Livio Tola, according to La Stampa.

"We cannot say with certainty if these electromagnetic waves are dangerous for children or not," he added, agreeing that there is no scientific consensus on this.

There are reports of the harmful effects of electromagnetic waves. Last August, a boarding school in central Massachusetts was sued for $250,000 when parents of a 12-year-old, reportedly suffering from "Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity Syndrome" was suffering from headaches, nosebleeds and nausea, once the school sent strong wireless signals in 2013, according to CBS Boston.

However, the reports have not been supported by studies. The "Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity Syndrome" has been investigated by the World Health Organization, but no link between the syndrome and a child's illness has been found.

On the other hand, independent studies indicate that electromagnetic radiation can stunt the development of brain cells in children, which convinced Tola to shut down the Wi-Fi in the two schools, says Signs Of The Times.

After shutting down the schools, there is a bit of a backlash from councillors, some parents and even ex-mayor Fausto Francisca, who aver that even if they are proven to be harmful, shutting them down would not help children who are exposed to the radiation from various sources, such as their phones and wireless connections at public as well as domestic environments.

"What's the point? We already have Wi-Fi in two of the town's squares and in our library, places where children also spend a lot of time," Francisca argued.